22
by Solareon
Summary: The more time that passed, the more they realized that the only thing harder than surviving in this new world, was trying to find a life worth living. A series of 22 pieces staring Beth and Carl.
1. 15: Lost

**Summary**: _The more time that passed, the more they realized that the only thing harder than surviving in this new world, was trying to find a life worth living. A series of 22 pieces staring Beth and Carl._

**Author's Notes:** _I've been meaning to write this for a while, but I kept getting distracted by other stories I'm writing at the moment, but after seeing a disturbing lack of Carl/Beth stories, I just thought I might as well get this out of my head. _

**Disclaimer**: _The walking Dead and all its characters belongs to Robert Kirkman, AMC, Telltale Games and whoever else I'm forgetting to mention. _

**Warning**_: Rated T for language, violence, and many other stuff and things, but will change with each chapter. _

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_15: Lost_

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_Carnage._

_Hopelessness. _

_Death._

_Those words were all Beth could think about, the only way she could describe the horror she was seeing; the prison fences were destroyed, torn apart by misses, from tanks, grenades, and walkers. _

_The people they had rescued from Woodbury, their people, were all gone; torn apart from bullets and walkers, sometimes not in the order._

_They had tried to fight back, hoping that making a last stand would save the prison, but in the end, it didn't even matter. The Governor had returned, bringing an army of savages with. The sick, monster of a man had learned his lesson from his last attack on the prison, no longer were his soldiers untrained, naive citizens, no, his army now was ruthless, deadly, and their motto was 'No Survivors'_

_The first ones to die were the Woodbury refuges; elderly, woman, children, the Governor's men killed them all without a second thought._

_She wasn't sure who was alive and who was dead anymore, she had been separated from the group, she didn't even know if Judith was even alive anymore. She wanted to pray, she wanted to talk to god, to beg for help, but she couldn't even calm herself down enough to form a calculated thought. She wished Carl was here, he always knew how to help her in a stressful time, he always made her feel stronger, but he wasn't with them anymore, he hadn't been for a long time._

_Carl had left the prison some time after the Woodbury Refugees had come to live with their group, he had runaway in the middle of the night, managing to sneak past the security of the prison, the only thing he had left behind was a note that read:_

_'If you won't do what you have to do, than I will. I'm sorry. Goodbye'_

_They had looked for Carl for months, but they found no traces of him, not even Daryl could find his trail. Most of the group never really got over him leaving. Rick had blamed himself, it had taken days for Michonne and Daryl to even get him out of his cell. Her daddy had felt guilty for not being able to console him, like Rick, he had taken it as a person failure. For Carol, it had been like losing another child all over again, she looked at Carl as a son, and not knowing if he was alive or dead felt like the search for Sophia all over again. Daryl wouldn't talk to anyone but the main group, hating himself for not being able to find another missing child. Michonne had become even more stoic, only showing any emotion to the main group and the main group alone, to everyone else she was as cold, if not colder than she had been in the first days in Woodbury. And Beth couldn't just understand why Carl had left the group, had left her, she knew he was angry, she knew their were problems he had to deal with, she just thought she could be there for him, and that they could deal with them together. _

_None of that mattered anymore though, everything was gone, the prison, their group. They had been broken._

_Without knowing it, Beth had ended up outside of the prison, she stumbled over a corpse, and fell on top of it, she caught a glimpse of the Corpse's face, and she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. _

_The corpse had been Maggie, her older sister, her last surviving sibling. _

"_God, no, please, please no." She whispered desperately, as she clung to her sister's body, she didn't notice a group of the Governor's men approach her. _

_They raised their rifles, and Beth didn't even bother to look at them. Nothing matter anymore, she feared it'll all end this way, she had tried to tell herself over and over again that things were getting better, that she wouldn't have to be afraid of getting killed or eaten anymore. _

_Christ had she been wrong. _

_Beth hung her head low, touching her sister's forehead with her own, she wasn't going to fight anymore, all she wanted was to be able to see Otis, Patricia and her family again. _

"_Please, "She cried out quietly, "just end it." _

_Just as soldiers raised their rifles to fire, a loud, rage filled screamed caught their attention. _

_Seemingly out of nowhere, Carol had appeared behind the three armed men, "Get away from her, you bastards!" She dug a machete into the eye of the first man, then quickly, she spun around and cut off the second man's head. _

_The third man had raised his rifle to attempt to fire out the rage filled woman, but she was too quick, too feral, for him to counter. She dove onto the man, knocking his rifle out of his hands, she then dug both of her thumbs into the man's eyeballs, the man screamed and pleaded for mercy, but Carol didn't stop until she heard a satisfying pop. _

_The man's pleases ended once and for all._

_Getting off of the corpse, Carol walked over to Beth, the girl still hadn't looked up from Maggie's body. "Beth, get up." Carol said panting._

_Beth shook her head, tears dripping on Maggie's face. "There's nothing left, Carol. We can't...we should just give-"_

_Whatever Beth had been about to say had been cut off by Carol picking the girl up by her shirt roughly and forcing her to look her in the eyes. _

_Beth saw something she had never seen in Carol's eyes before; Rage, pure and inconsolable rage. _

"_You're not dying here, and I'm not losing you!" Carol screamed. "Not to walkers, not to these godless monstrous men, and certainly not to yourself!"_

_Beth started to shake in Carol's iron grip, tears were rolling down her face uncontrollably, she hated feeling so weak. She went to plead again with Carol, to beg the woman to just let her die, but the woman cut her off again._

"_I've already lost one daughter, please don't ask me to lose another." Carol said. She started to cry, but even with her cheeks stained with tears, Beth could still feel the rage that was boiling inside of the woman._

_Not knowing what to do or say, Beth buried her head into Carol's shoulder and sobbed, she cried harder than she had done in her entire life._

_As Beth cries echoed softly in her ear, Carol stroked the back of her head, watching as the place they had called home was laid under siege._

It felt like forever since the prison had fallen, Beth wasn't sure how much time had passed; months, years, she had stopped counting.

All she knew was that her world had ended. Again.

The prison falling had change them, changed them in ways the first months of the outbreak hadn't. Any traces of their old selves had long since faded away. They were colder, more ruthless, and just a little less hopeful than they would have liked.

They had only returned to the prison once after it fell, and after seeing what was left, Beth wished she just left well enough alone.

A place they had looked at as their sanctuary, was now in ruins, the only thing that was left was the dead, nothing living had survived, and if it did, it had long since left.

Even though Maggie had been the only member of their old group to be confirmed dead, they still mourned all of their friends, their family, because even if anyone had survived, the chances of finding them again were slim to none.

After that, life became a simple routine; survive, endure, survive.

In a way, they had both died in the prison, only to be born again in blood.

They stopped trying to find a safe haven, realizing that nowhere was safe anymore, they decided that life on the road was just better than some false hope.

Currently they were traipsing through Alabama, hoping that the winter wouldn't be as bad further south, and luckily it hadn't been, the coldest day they had experienced so far hadn't even gone below 35, or at least that's what the poor excuse for a thermometer was reading.

Beth side-stepped a sluggish moving walker, then quickly taking her machete out of its case, she decapitated it, making sure to slice it through the brain, just to be safe. Carol, who had watched from the side lines, gave a nod of praise towards her, happy that the young woman had become strong enough to not need her protection anymore.

In the time that had passed, Beth learned many things living back on the road, for one, vanity was overrated. She cut off her long locks of blonde hair, and settled for a shorter haircut like Carol, her hair was now easier to clean and harder to grab by the dead and living.

There were harder lessons to learn, like hunting and tracking, but if they had wanted to eat, they had to pick it up fast.

The hardest lesson she had learned was killing; when, why, and how, those were the only things that mattered any more when it came to taking a life. And most of the time only the when and how seemed to come up. The first time she had killed another living person, she had nightmares for weeks, but now, it didn't even bother her that much. She sometimes hoped if her daddy was still alive, he'd never find her, she wasn't sure if she could face him after what she's had to do to survive.

Even so, not a day passed by where she didn't miss him. If she was honest with herself, she missed everyone from her old group, but the person she thought about the most from day-to-day was Carl. She sometimes liked to think since he wasn't present when the Governor returned, that maybe he was still alive, surviving out on his own, that maybe her and Carol could find him again, and maybe, just maybe, they could have a piece of their old family back again.

The thought would vanish from her head quickly though as quickly as it would come.

If the entire group couldn't find Carl, then she knew the chances of her and Carol find him were slim. It saddened her to think that way, but the odds of Carl still being alive after all this time were almost none existent at this point.

Holding out her machete, Beth let the pouring rain clean off the blade, when she was sure it was clean enough, she slid it in back in its case and the two woman started walking deeper in to the woods. Their feet sunk slightly in to ground with each step, it had rained constantly for the last couple of days, and every was soaking wet. In a way it was actually a good thing, it made being tracked by other survivors harder, but it also made tracking animals to hunt harder as well, either way, Beth just wanted to get back to their little camp and change out of her soaked clothes.

After a mile of walking, the sound of twigs snapping softly caught their attention. Carol rolled her rifle off of her shoulder, silently motioning for Beth to do the same.

Carol had a suspicion that they were being stalked, she knew Beth was feeling the same too. They weren't being paranoid either, even though the rain had been pouring down hard, it still wouldn't mask the sound of a walker or animal stumbling around, no, it had to have been a living person, the steps they were hearing were to gentle, to careful, the dead didn't sneak, the dead didn't stalk, the dead just eat.

The wind started to pick up, making the trees howl and the rain hit their faces. Beth saw a shadow move though the trees, she fired in the blink of an eye, and a faint grunt of pain told her she hit her target. Just as she was about to fire again, she felt the cold steel press against the back of her head.

Carol whipped around to point her rifle at the stranger holding Beth at gunpoint, but before she could let at a shot, she too felt the barrel of a gun pressing against the back of her head.

"Drop your weapons." Said the first stranger, their voice was muffled by a black helmet covering their face, but it was clearly feminine. The second stranger, who had a more masculine build, lightly tapped Carol on the head, telling her to follow the directions that had just been said.

The two woman both let go of their rifles and let them drop to the wet ground, mud soon began to cover the weapons, and Beth mentally cursed. It was going to be a pain clean those when, or if they got of this alive.

Then without warning, the female Stranger pistol whipped Beth in the back of the head and her world went dark right after.

**Scene Break**

Groaning softly, Beth slowly opened her eyes, her vision was blurred slightly, but when it cleared up, it was only mildly better than having her eyes closed. Taking inspection of her surroundings, she noticed that she was in some type of interrogating room, it was faintly lit, with only a dim lightbulb hanging from ceiling, she also noticed that she was seated in some metal chair and that Carol was right next to her.

"How long was I out?" Beth said, she went to rub the throbbing spot of her head that had been pistol whipped, but her hand wouldn't move. Looking down at her hands, she noticed she was handcuffed to the metal chair she was sitting in. "Oh, please tell me I'm dreaming..."

"Sorry, baby. Not dreaming." Carol said in a mothering tone. "And you've been out for the last two hours."

Beth groaned again, she couldn't believe they'd been captured, she _really_ couldn't believe that they were also still alive, a part of her wanted to know why, but she knew the reason probably wouldn't be anything good.

The sound of the door to the room opening caught their attention, one of the strangers that had captured them walked in, by the looks of their body type, it was the female stranger. She was dressed in some sort of military looking, black riot gear. She walked over to the table and took a seat, not saying a word, just staring at them from under her helmet. After two minutes passed in silence, the stranger finally spoke.

"Whats your name?" She said, voice muffled and filtered by her helmet.

Beth replied "What makes you thin we'll te-"

The stranger held a hand up, cutting her off. "I didn't ask you, Blondie. I asked her" The stranger said, pointing to Carol, causing the older woman to glare at their unknown capture in confusion. The stranger sighed, then grabbed her helmet, took it off and placed it on the table in front her.

Carol face went from cold anger to mild surprise when she got to see their captor's face; the woman, or rather girl, had dark bronze skin, making Carol guess that she could have been from hispanic decent, she was young, maybe even younger than Beth by a year or two, she sure looked it, well only in the face at least. Even though their captor had a young-looking face, her eyes looked old,and tired, like they had seen more of this terrible world, than most people should ever see.

"I'll repeat again." The girl said, slowly in a hispanic accent. "What. Is. Your. Name."

Carol glared at the girl "What does it matter to you?"

The girl smiled, though their was no amusement in her face, just rage, boiling up to the surface. "You wear a dead woman's face." She spat venomously, she then leaned forward, only a few inches were now separating her and Carol, she looked her dead in the eyes then said "Now answer my fucking questions."

"Peletier." Carol said with just as much malice as the girl. "Carol Peletier."

The girl backed away from Carol's person space, and ran a gloved hand through her dark coal hair, she then looked up at the blackened ceiling, taking a long, tired intake of breath.

Picking up her helmet that she had left on the table, the girl looked at it for a moment, she then let out an ear piercing scream and started to bash her helmet against a wall, cursing loudly with each strike. Finally, after her helmet was reduced to nothing more than a scrap of plastic, she tossed it aside. She then turned back to face Carol, looking far older than she had just looked.

Sadly, the girl then said quietly. "So, Sophia really is dead."

Carol froze in her seat, her face losing all color, the restraints that were keeping her locked to the chair, suddenly felt much heavier, her body started to tremble and her eyes got glassy. It had been so long since she had heard her own daughter's name, it almost felt foreign on her ears.

"How do..." Carol bit her bottom lip, trying to keep her voice calm and even. "How do you know that name?"

The stranger's eyes looked lost, dull and tired, the rage that had just been streaming out of her body had all but faded away, now the unknown girl looked just as she was; a girl, too young to be living in such a cold, hopeless world.

Wordlessly, she walked over to the door she had entered from, banged on it twice, then door opened and she walked out without giving a second glance back.

Beth watched the girl disappear, there were a million questions roaming around in her head, and judging by the desperate look on Carol's face, the woman wanted answers just as much, if not even more than she did.

**Scene Break**

An hour passed before the door to their room was opened again. The unknown girl had returned, but this time she had someone with her; a young man, who looked about her age, dressed in the same clothes, he looked related to the unknown girl, from the similar facial features he bore, to his bronze complexion, he could pass for a close family relative, maybe brother. He patted the girl once on the shoulder then walked out and closed the door behind me, but Beth had no doubt that he was on the opposite side of it, no doubt standing guard if anything were to happen.

The girl reached into her pocket, taking out an old, rusty looking key, she walked over to Beth and unlocked her restraints, then she did the same to Carol. Beth noticed that the girl's eyes were now bloodshot and glassy looking, almost like she had been crying.

"You never answered me questions." Carol said, glaring at the unknown girl.

Instead of answering Carol, the girl just asked "What does the name Morales mean to you?"

It took only a couple of seconds for Carol to register the name in her memory, eyes widening in rage, she stood up and slammed her hands on the table, Beth flinched, but the girl didn't even budge, neither did the young man in the corner of the room.

Carol then screamed at the girl. "How do you know these names?!

The girl looked up at Carol, she smiled sadly then said. "I thought giving my doll to Sophia back at the quarry would have given her luck." The girl then looked away from Carol, and placed her head in her hands. "Never have I been so wrong."

It took a moment for what the girl was saying to register with Carol, she had to search through memory, remembering so many different events that had happened since she had last been to Atlanta, and when she finally remembered, she felt almost foolish not matching the face to the name. Her legs suddenly felt weak, she collapsed into her chair and looked down at the ground.

"Eliza?" Carol said softly. "Eliza Morales?"

The girl nodded her head, looking away.

Beth stared at the girl who Carol had just identified as Eliza, she was just still just as lost as she had been before, the name didn't ring any bells to her.

"We thought...we thought you all had been lost." Carol said hoarsely, looking at the girl sadly.

"Not all of us," Eliza replied, rubbing at her eyes, trying to keep them dry. "They tried to keep me and my brother safe as long as they could, but in the end...their time ran out."

Beth finally spoke up, trying to get some answers of her own. "You've met her before?" She asked looking Carol.

The woman nodded her head slowly. "A very, very, Long time ago, deer. She was part of our original group"

"Which looks likes its gotten a lot smaller now." Eliza said, earning a glare from Beth, but the girl just shrugged it off.

There was a bang on the door, Eliza sighed and stood up. "I gotta go, but I'll have my brother, Louis show you guys to your room."

"Room?" Beth repeated in confusion.

Eliza nodded, "I've pulled some strings here and there, you guys can stay for a while at our camp, till some things get sorted out."

Not waiting for a reply, Eliza walked over to the door, she banged on it twice, the door opened up and the same boy from before walked it. She patted him on the shoulder, then walked out of the room.

The boy turned to Beth and Carol, smiling. "Well as my lovely sister just said; Lets get you guys to your room."

Beth looked at Carol, who still seemed to be trying to process the conversation she had just had with Eliza.

She lightly touched her shoulder,giving it a squeeze, feeling almost weird to be the one comforting Carol and not the other way around. Carol smiled faintly at her, thanking her silently. They then stood up and followed the boy out of the dark room and out the door.

When they walked out of the room, they were welcomed by a dark corridor, and even though they could barely see, the boy Louis seemed to have no problem leading them around.

After being lead around in the darkness for five minutes, Louis came to a door, he looked back at Carol and Beth and smiled a little. "Welcome to Fort Rucker, ladies."

Louis threw open the door, blinding Beth and Carol from the outside light for a moment, but when their pupils adjusted, they both gasped.

They had been in a military base the entire time, and by the looks of it, the base was still fully operational. There were armed survivors everywhere you looked, tanks, trucks, cars, there was a barbed wired fences surrounding every wall to the outside. For the last standing member of Hershel's farm and the last standing member of the Atlanta group, it looked like a sanctuary, something they had given up looking for long ago.

Beth looked from the base then back to Louis. "How is this possible."

Louis smiled "Hard work, that's how." He then said quietly, smiling falling a little. "And many sacrifices."

Shock wearing off some, Carol walked up to Louis, and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Your parents would be proud of you." She said in a mothering voice. "

The boy sniffed a little, nodding his head, before starting to lead them forward again. "Alright, let's get you guys to your room."

As they followed the young Hispanic teen around, Carol's mind was still lost in a sea of questions, while Beth's was just amazed at her surrounding.

Lost in their own world, they didn't even notice that Louis had brought them to their room already, he opened the door for them, and Beth was surprised again.

The room wasn't much, there were only two beds and a nightstand with a lantern in it, but compared to where they had been staying, it might as well been a Trump hotel. She also noticed that her and Carol's duffel bags from their camp were placed in the corner of the room and that their was a set of cloths on each of the beds.

"Sis told me to drop off you stuff from your camp and some spare cloths." Louis said noticing Beth looking at her and Carol's things.

Taking a step back, then teen then said. "Well, I leave ya guys to get settle in and change." He then went to walk out.

"Wait." Beth said making the teen stop short. "What happens now?"

Louis shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, me and sis gotta talk with Shane first, then we'll figure out what the long-term plan is for you two.

Beth and Carol shared a surprised look, thinking the same thing; He couldn't be talking about the same Shane, the Shane they knew had been dead for years now.

There was a knock on the door, Louis opened it up, and the teen smiled. "Ay, speak of the devil, come meet the new guests, hermano."

A young man walked in, he was dressed in the same the military styled riot gear that Eliza and Louis had been dressed in, only his was more in ruined, his boots were covered in mud, his jacket was ripped open and torn from almost every angle, he actually looked like someone had thrown him in barbed wire. His face was young, yet old-looking, sleepless bags had found their way under his eyes making them looked bruised, his face was unshaven, with light chestnut-brown whisker like hairs coming in.

A familiar looking sheriff's hat sat on top of a mess of short, spiky brown hair, his light, ice blue eyes looked directly at Beth and the girl felt her heart skip a beat.

There standing in front of her, was someone she hadn't seen in years, someone she had thought was lost forever, someone she had loved there was so many questions she wanted to ask, things she wanted to say.

She looked in to the young man's cold, blue eyes and whispered. "Carl?"

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**Author's Notes:** _Well that's the end of the first chapter. Please **review** and give me any feedback you have, good, bad, or weird, I love it all!_

_Till next time._

_~Solareon_


	2. 10: Cross my Heart

**Author's Notes:** _Thanks everyone for the reviews last chapter, this ones gonna be a bit different, but it's set in the same story, just further back and...ah screw it, just read the damn thing! P.S. Thanks for reviewing Superneos2, happy to have one of my fav writers in the fandom liking my stuff!_

**Review Shout-outs**: **RebelA2013, CrazedMachete, Rebel29, SuperNeos2, BLUENIGHT23 **and** SupedupJas**

**Disclaimer**: _The walking Dead and all its characters belongs to Robert Kirkman, AMC, Telltale Games and whoever else I'm forgetting to mention. _

**Warning**_: Rated T for language, violence, and suggestive theme._

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_10: Cross my Heart_

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Carl paced back and forth in his room/cell, stopping only for a moment, he closed his eyes, ran a hand through his messy brown hair, cursed under his breath, then started to pace back and forth again. The anxiety he was feeling was taking control of him; he couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, he couldn't stay freaking still! If he even tried to sit in one spot for longer than a second, he'd start to twitch, then shake, and eventually, he'd end up looking like a complete head case. He just couldn't believe the situation he was now involved in, it almost seemed surreal.

He always knew that sooner or later it'd come up, he was getting older, he was teenager, things change, whether you're ready for it or not. The problem was, he wasn't sure if _he_ was ready for things to change.

The dead he could handle, it had already been years since the outbreak had started, and they were nothing new to him, a threat yes, but a threat he had gotten use to.

The living could be a problem here and there, but for better or worse, he had gotten use to them as well.

For Christ sakes, _the Governor _was still alive and hiding out somewhere, but even _he _didn't seem like a big enough deal anymore, at least not compared to the challenge he was going through now.

Carl dug his hands into his pockets and took out the item that represented the bane of his existence, the item that had made his life a living hell since he had first laid eyes on it, the item that threatened to change everything about the life he had made for himself since he had moved into the prison with his group.

The item in question that was driving Carl completely and utterly insane, was none other than...a condom.

"I hate you, so freaking much." Carl whispered to the condom.

The Condom didn't appear to say anything back, but the teenager could have sworn it was mocking him. MOCKING HIM!

Carl jammed the condom back in his pocket and started to pace through his room once again, trying to understand how things had changed so much, it just seemed like yesterday that him and Beth were trading winks and smiles when they thought the adults weren't looking, then it accelerated to holding hands, and small kisses in private, after that came the making out, hickeys, and now...now...damn it! He wasn't even sure if he was ready for sex yet! Why was this happening to him?! And why in the name of walker Jesus was this such a big deal!

Sighing, Carl laid his head against the cold, mental bars of his cell, he was a fifteen year-old teenager, sex should be the only thing on his mind! Instead, his mind had been more concerned with things like killing the Governor, killing walkers, killing any threats to his group, killing was easy for him to think about, but sex? Sex was going to drive him insane

_'Why couldn't you of just finished me off, Otis.'_ Carl thought bitterly.

This whole mess had started a couple of days ago, him and Beth had snuck out of their cells late one night , which was a pretty hard feat these days since the prison was so full of people now, they had wanted some time alone away from prying eyes, and after finally finding a quiet part of the prison, they just hung out for a while, you know, talking, joking...kissing. Then One thing lead to another... and he had gotten a...and she was really...

It didn't happen, I mean, nothing really happened, they just stopped themselves before anything _did_ happen. And now ever since that night they had avoided each other ever since.

That night had got him thinking; he had been in a relationship with Beth for some time now, and they never really talked about taking the next step, what happens after the hugs, holding hands, and kissing, and...other things...stuff. I mean, it wasn't like he was ignorant about it, he knew what Glenn and Maggie did in the watch tower, he heard enough of the jokes Daryl was always hollering at them whenever he could.

Carl sighed again, he needed advice, and he needed it soon. He just didn't know who to go to.

Glenn? No, he'd spill the beans to everyone in the damn prison, and then sex wouldn't be his only problem; a shotgun toting, one-legged, bible quoting farmer would be.

His dad? No, that wouldn't work. They still were trying to fix their relationship, yeah they were a lot better than they were last year, but he didn't want to start ruining things now with his petty problems

Hershel wasn't even an option, since you know, the whole thing about him being Beth's father, and also that whole part about him being a shotgun toting, one-legged, bible quoting farmer. Yeah...so, that wasn't going to work!

That left only one option...

**Scene Break**

Daryl sat at the workshop in the prison, staring intently at his crossbow, the damn thing hadn't been shooting the bolts right lately and it was driving him crazy, the last time he had fired it, the hunk of shit had missed the walker completely.

He flicked on the table lamp, grabbed a screwdriver, and just as he was about to start losing the first screw, a shadow casted itself over his crossbow. Grumbling he slammed his screwdriver on the workstation, he wasn't sure who the hell was quiet enough to sneak up on him, but God dammit, he was not in the mood to deal with any bullshit today.

"Ya best have a good reason for bothering me." He said coldly to the shadow.

The shadow gulped, took a deep breath, then said. "I need advice about sex."

Daryl's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and his mouth hung open, it only took a moment for him to recognize the voice. Spinning around in his chair, the last standing Dixon man came face to face with a tomato faced Grimes teen.

"Ah, shit." He cursed under his breath.

**Scene Break**

_'Its just sex, it's just sex, it's just sex.'_ Beth repeatedly mentally to herself, nervously gripping her mother's necklace.

'You are a mature, reasonable, young adult, and you're about to have...to have...' Beth threw her hands in the air then plopped down on her bed and covered her eyes with her pillow.

_'You're a child. An eighteen year old child!'_

Why wasn't she ready for this? Was Carl ready for this? Was _she_ the problem?! Oh, god she was the problem!

Beth sunk further into her bed as her mind made her feel worse, whispering words of doubt about her relationship with Carl. Just as she was about to let her doubts take a hold of her, a light clanging noise could be heard from her cell bars.

Pulling her pillow away from her eyes, she saw Michonne standing in her cell doorway, Katana in hand, and giving her a question stare.

"I must look really pathetic." Beth mumbled looking down, playing with her bracelet.

"No, not pathetic." Michonne offered softly, walking in to the younger girl's cell. "Just confused."

Tucking a strand of blond her behind her ear, Beth laughed bitterly to herself. "If only you know."

Michonne leaned against Beth's bed and crossed her arms. "Then why don't you enlighten me."

"It's a long story." Beth said, looking down at her bed.

Michonne offered a small smile. "I've got time."

Looking up from the floor, Beth gave Michonne a weak smile. "Well it all started..."

**Scene Break**

"And that's the whole story."

Daryl stared at Carl for a moment, he didn't say anything, just stared, letting the teen's words sink in. Finally, after the longest two minutes of Carl's life, the redneck said something.

"I got nothing." Daryl said, crossing his arms.

Carl's eye started to twitch.

"You got nothing?" Carl said, repeating Daryl's words. "Nothing? No words of advice, no encouragement or ya know, anything?!"

Daryl shrugged. "The hell you want me to say, boy? This ain't the talk ya should be squawking to me, this ya old man's job."

"My dad and me just got on the same page with things," Carl said weakly, looking down at his old, weathered boots. "I don't won't this to be the thing that screws us up again."

Sighing, the gruff man stood up from the workstation stool, he walked over to Carl and put on hand on the teen's shoulder. "Listen, kid, I ain't yer dad. It wouldn't be right for me to give ya advice on this." Daryl said, honestly. "It don't matter if ya like it or not, this is something ya gotta talk about with ya old man."

Carl ran a hand through his messy hair, anxiety slowly working its way back in to his body. "And I thought I missed normal problems."

Daryl smirked at Carl and ruffled the teen's hair. "Shit, welcome to the club, kid."

**Scene Break**

"So, what do you think?" Beth asked, looking at Michonne hopefully.

Michonne whistled lowly. "I think you and Carl have a lot to talk about."

"That's what I was afraid you'd say." Replied Beth, throwing her pillow back over her face.

whacking the girl's head softly, Michonne plucked the pillow off of her face. "Now, now, no trying to suffocate yourself today." The swordswoman said.

"What was it like for you?" Beth asked suddenly, looking up at Michonne.

"What was what like?"

"Ya know..." Beth said, unconsciously playing with her bracelet again." You and Rick..."

"Me and Rick, what?" Michonne asked, already fearing the girl's answer.

"Well, I mean, you two have had sex, right?" Beth says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Now it was Michonne's turn for her face to heat up, the woman started at Beth like she had told her she caught Glenn and Maggie in a threesome with a walker.

Michonne took a sharp intake of breath, trying to regain her composure. "Wh-what makes you think that?" She stuttred.

"Well...you two are always staring at each other, and spending time alone together, going on runs together..." Beth noticed Michonne giving her an evil glare. "And...and I'll just stop talking now." The girl said, looking down embarrassed.

Sighing, Michonne said. "It's not a big deal, some people know."

"Who?" Beth asked looking back up.

"Carol knows, Hershel, Daryl and well, now you." Michonne smirked kindly at the girl. "Welcome to the club."

Beth gave a small smirk of her own. "I didn't even know there was club."

"Invitation only." Michonne said without missing a beat.

**Scene Break**

The red glow of the evening sun covered the skies as the summer winds blew gently. Rick smiled from the guard tower as he watched his people go about their lives, smiling, laughing, living. He felt a small sense of normalcy at the humbling sight and for a short moment, he actually forgot about all the problems of the world, and even when the moment passed, a smile was still on his face. Sighing contentedly, he leaned against the railing of the tower, hoping to finish his shift in peace.

A couple of seconds later, he heard light knocking coming from the guard tower door, he turned his head and saw his son looking back at him.

_'I wonder what he wants.'_ Rick wondered curiously, his son rarely made it a habit to visit the guard tower if he wasn't doing a shift of his own. Regardless, he waved his son in anyway.

Carl walked in slowly, taking a deep breath, he took of his hat and held it in his hand. "Dad I uh...need to talk to you."

Rick perked up a little, he knew him and Carl had been doing a lot better in the last couple of months, but the fact that his son was actually coming to him to talk made him feel a little fatherly pride, it was like he had his little boy back.

"Sure, what about?" Rick questioned as he pushed himself off the railing to look at his son.

Carl whipped at his sweaty brow. "Ya know...stuff...things."

At the mention of stuff and things, red flags started to go off in Rick's head, knowing that whenever a Grimes man used those words, the conversation was going to go bad, weird, or uncomfortable.

"Ok...what kind of stuff and things?" Rick asked, stepping forward.

Swallowing the spit he didn't even know had formed in his mouth, Carl simply said. "Sex."

Rick stared at his son.

Carl stared at his dad.

Rick then smiled brightly, and pridefully said. "My boys growing up."

"Oh, God, dad, don't." Carl whined, putting his hat back on his head and covering his eyes.

"Hey, hey, I'm just messing with you." Rick teased fatherly, he plucked the hat off of Carl's head and placed it on his own.

"Hey!" Carl yelled, feeling naked without his hat.

Rick just smirked at Carl, enjoying the feeling of having his old hat back on his hat. "Sorry, son, but this is gonna be a big talk, and I need my hat back for this one."

Grumbling under his breath, Carl crossed his arms and sat down. "Whatever, lets just get this over with."

Rick smiled at his son's antics and sat down next to him. "So, you and Beth, huh?"

"Yeah, I think so." Carl said.

"Do you think you're ready." Rick asked.

Carl opened his mouth, but closed it soon after. He actually hadn't really thought about it, he had spent most of his time worrying about doing it, that he didn't even think about being ready to do it. "I think so." He answered slowly.

"You can't think so, Carl," Rick said fatherly, looking at his son. "You have to know. We don't live in a world anymore where we can do something and not expect to have to face up to are actions."

"Do you think I'm ready, dad?" Carl asked as he looked out at the setting sun.

Rick patted his son on the back, joining him at looking out at the sunset. "You're the only one who can answer that, son."

Carl thought about his dad's words for a second, silently agree with him, he then asked. "Did you have to go through some of these things with Michonne?"

Rick stared at his son in shock, he then looked down and started to chuckle softly to himself. "So, you know about us?"

"I'm teenager, not stupid, dad." Carl said, offering his dad a small smile.

"Are you made I didn't tell you?" Rick asked, looking at his son apologetically.

"I wanted to be." Carl said honestly, looking away from his dad. "I thought I should have been mad at you two, at least be a little pissed off in some way, but after thinking about, I just...I just couldn't be."

"And why not?" Rick asked.

Looking back at his dad, Carl said. "Because I know she makes you happy, and you've done enough where you deserve to be happy without feeling guilty."

Rick felt a strong sense of pride at his son's words, smiling down at him, he took the sherif's hat off of his head and placed it back on Carl's. "Looks better on you anyway.

The two Grimes men then shared a laugh, feeling the tension that had been hiding under the surface for a year, finally fade away, they then continued talking, not as fellow survivors forced to communicate, but as father and son.

**Scene Break**

Michonne had offered Bethe some words of advice about her relationship with Carl, and it really had helped her, but just before they could finish their conversation, her father and Maggie showed up, Self-consciousness getting ahold of her again, she bolted away from her cell with a weak excuse, leaving Michonne to deal with the fallout.

Walking up the stairs of the cell block, she found Carol looking out window, a small, bright smile on her face. Wordlessly, she walked closer to see what the woman was looking at and when she caught sight of what Carol was seeing, she smiled warmly.

She saw Rick and Carl sitting side by side in the guard tower, the two looked like they were getting along, they were smiling and laughing. She watched as Rick put his arm around Carl, and her smile grew when Carl didn't push away.

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" Carol said softly to Beth.

Beth nodded her head. "Yeah, it really is."

They continued to watch the Grime's men in silence, happy that the two were finally getting along again. After some time, the sun disappeared from sight, and Carol and Beth could only faintly make out the shadows of the father and son.

Sighing, Beth turned to look at Carol and said. "I need some advice."

"About Carl?" Carol asked with a smile.

"It's that obvious, isn't it?"

"No, a mother just always knows." Carol said, her smile then fell a little. "Even if I'm not a mother anymore.

Beth reached out and grabbed Carol's hand. "If it counts, you're still a mother to me."

"It does, honey. It does." Carol said, giving the girl's hand a squeeze. "Now, about you and Carl..."

The girl bit her lip and looked down, she knew that Carol at of all people would understand, but that didn't make her nerves go away, finally after taking a deep breath she said. "I need advice about sex."

Carol nodded her head casually, like she wasn't even surprised. "You think your ready?"

"Um yes, maybe, uh, I don't know!" Beth put her head in her hands and sat down on the floor. "I mean, I know he's older now, but I'm...and...what if he..." She stopped talking, and started to nervously play with her bracelet again, but after pulling on it too hard, the thing snapped off of her wrist and rolled away.

Beth didn't move, she just looked at where her bracelet use to be, staring at the old scar on her wrist. She lightly traced her finger against her scar, remembering the day she had almost made the biggest mistake of her life. "I just don't want us to be another scar." She said softly. "We have enough, and I don't wanna be cause of another."

Carol leaned forward, and pulled the girl into an embrace. "Can I ask you something, Beth?"

"Of course." Beth sniffed, rubbing her her eyes with the back of her hand.

"How do you feel about Carl?" Carol questioned pulling back to look at Beth.

"I love him." Beth said without even thinking, shocked that she had just said that, she repeated it again. "I love him," She smiled warmly. "I love Carl Grimes."

"And why do you love him?"

Again Beth talked without thinking. "Because he's taught me I can be strong, that I can keep living in this world, even though it ended. He makes me happy, I smile more when I'm with him, I laugh more, I dream!" Beth said overcome with emotion. Then softly , she said. "But most impotently, he makes me believe there is a better life out there waiting for us."

Carol stood up, and smiled at Beth. "I don't think you need any advice from me, honey. I think you've got it all figured out." The woman than pecked Beth lightly on the top of the head and started to walk away.

"Thanks, mama!" Beth yelled out happily to Carol.

As Carol walked away, she felt her eyes water, it had been so long since she had been called 'mama' that she had almost forgotten what it sounded like. She mentally thanked Beth for allowing her to hear it again, because there was nothing more beautiful sounding to her ears.

**Scene Break**

"So you really do love her, huh?" Rick asked his son, as they walked back in to the prison.

Carl nodded his head. "More than anything, dad."

"Alright then." Rick said, patting his son on the shoulder. "Good enough for me."

Stopping short, Carl nearly tripped over himself. "Really? You're not gonna say I'm too young, or I'm grounded in my cell till the next apocalypse?"

Rick chuckled at his son. "Listen, son, I told you two years ago no more kids stuff, and Michonne already told you no more bull shit, so now these choices and decisions about your life are up to you, I can't make them for you."

Carl sighed, he was relived that his dad was so understanding, but that didn't change the fact that he still felt a little lost. "So, what do now then?"

"Go see Beth, son." Rick said, he then gave Carl a fatherly hug and walked away.

**Scene Break**

Carl walked in to the empty cell block him and Beth always visited when they wanted to get away from the group, he passed by cell after cell, until he found Beth in the last one, sitting on a bed.

"Hi." She said, smiling gently at him.

"Hey." Carl said, walking in to the cell and joining her on the bed.

The full moon hanging above the prison, shined through the thin bared windows of cell block, lightly illuminating the darkened cell and the two teens in it's glow. Carl looked at Beth, and the older girl stared back at him, after everything that gone through today, the only thing either of them wanted was to see the other.

"I missed you." Beth says slowly moving her hand over his.

Carl gives her cocky smirk, and says. "Don't we only live a couple of cells apart?"

Sighing, Beth lightly punched Carl's arm. "You're a jerk."

The teen rubbed his arm, smiling while doing so. "But I'm your jerk."

Beth laughed a little, shaking her head, she then looked at Carl lovingly. "Yeah, you're my jerk."

The two loked in each others eyes again, this had been the first time they had been alone together in days, and there was a lot to say.

"I talked to Carol and Michnne." Beth started.

"I talked to Daryl and my dad." Carl said, laying down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"How'd that go?" Beth asked, laying down next to Carl.

The teenager shrugged, "We talked about stuff, things."

Beth smiled, she lightly pushed Carl's hand off of his hair, then started to play with his messy brown locks. "Sounds like the talk I had."

Enjoying the feeling of Beth playing with his hair, Carl moved a little closer to her, and started to do the same with hers. "Did it help?"

"I think so, but I think it all has to do with us."

"Yeah," Carl says softly. "I think it's better that way.

"Do you think we even know what we're doing?" Beth said.

"I don't think we have any idea what we're doing." Carl said honestly, a smirk finding its way back on his way.

Beth knew he had a point, when the world had ended, she had been a naive, sheltered, sixteen year old girl, and he had been an immature twelve-year-old kid, they lived lives that would have probably never been connected if it wasn't for the walker outbreak. The last two and half years had changed them in more ways than they'd ever be able to fully understand; her depression had almost killed her, and his darkness had almost consumed him, yet they kept on living, kept on fighting, hoping that they could somehow hold on to their humanity.

"I love you." Carl says suddenly, "I don't know if I've ever really said it out loud, but I am now. I love you."

Feeling her eyes water a little, Beth moved closer, touching her and Carl's foreheads together. "I love you too, it's just...it's just."

"It's just what?" Carl asks looking into Beth's blue eyes.

Beth looked away from him. "I just don't won't to be your mistake." She said softly, finally voicing her biggest fear.

Reaching out, Carl turned Beth's head to look back at him, he then moved his hand from her golden locks to resting on her soft cheek, stroking her smooth skin softly with his thumb. "You'll never be my mistake, Beth, I want you to know that. No matter what happens, no matter where I go, you'll always be the best thing about my life."

"You planning on going somewhere, deputy?" Beth teased, blinking back tears and wrapping her arms around Carl's neck.

Carl leaned forward until his lips were only a couple of centimeters away from Beth's, "Not without you." He whispered.

"You swear?" Beth asked, loving the feel of Carl's warm breath on her lips.

"Cross my heart." Carl said, he then closed distance between their lips.

Maybe it was the way the moon was shinning down them, or maybe they had finally chose to give in to the desires they had felt for the other for the longest, hell, maybe it was just them realizing that in a world that where everything ran on borrowed time, you had to take you're chances and hope for the best. Regardless of the reason, as Carl Grimes and Beth Greene lost themselves in each others, they knew that tonight would be the night they wouldn't be returning to their group's cell block...

* * *

**Author's Notes:** _Bloody hell that took forever to write! I wrote this chapter, because I finally wanted to touch on the topic of Beth and Carl reaching the next stage in their relationship, who would they go to with their questions and doubts, and how would they work them out. I also wanted to show how different they were in this chapter, than how they were in my last, since this is set before Carl left, before the prison fell, and before Carol and Beth found him again. Anyway, that's all folks, Please **review** and give me any feedback you have, good, bad, or weird, I love it all!_

_Till next time._

_~Solareon_


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